Posted on 12/29/2014 7:50:11 AM PST by SeekAndFind
When we think of “news” regarding the President in late December, one word comes to mind: golf. But Barack Obama took some time out between rounds on the links to chat with the press, and he had a special message for congressional Republicans. Don’t get your hopes up, guys. I’ve still got this veto pen.
Warning from President Barack Obama to congressional Republicans: I have a veto pen and, come January, I won’t be afraid to use it.
Since taking office in 2009, Obama has only vetoed legislation twice, both in fairly minor circumstances. But with Republicans set to take full control of Congress next year, Obama is losing his last bulwark against a barrage of bills he doesn’t like: the Senate.
“I haven’t used the veto pen very often since I’ve been in office,” Obama said in an NPR interview airing Monday. “Now, I suspect, there are going to be some times where I’ve got to pull that pen out.”
He added: “I’m going to defend gains that we’ve made in health care. I’m going to defend gains that we’ve made on environment and clean air and clean water.”
This is the prelude to what some of us have been waiting for throughout the 2014 election cycle, as I’ve written about here previously. While control of the upper chamber was clearly desirable for the GOP, it never heralded the dawn of a new era of conservative legislation suddenly winging its way into law. The days of bipartisan cooperation on major legislative packages are, for all intents and purposes, gone. Some of us may find that to be a feature rather than a bug. (For the last examples of such times, just think of Medicare Part D under President Bush in the 2003 – 2006 sessions.)
It appears that the only way “things get done” in a big way is if we have one party in control of both chambers and the White House. Failing that, we have gridlock and the constant media chants of obstructionism! The problem with this from the GOP perspective is that the Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) have done such an excellent job of conveying to the public the impression that only the House – under control of Republicans – was responsible for the log jam. Now, once the new members are seated, Congress will be able to do their job and “get things done” in terms of passing desired legislation. The only remaining path of obstructionism resides in that pen that Barack Obama is waiving about in a menacing fashion.
I have no doubt that he will use it. But when he does, how will the media spin the lack of progress by our elected officials as the fault of the GOP? That may be too much of a trick even for them. So we will have two solid years during a presidential election cycle where Obama will stand alone, jamming up the works and preventing the federal government from doing anything. Rather than the Do Nothing Congress, we will have the era of the Do Nothing Presidency. And Republican candidates – both for Congress and the Presidency – would be foolish indeed to pass up this opportunity to remind the nation precisely which party it is that is stopping the business of the people from being accomplished.
These past midterm elections were far from meaningless. In the long game, they might be exactly what the GOP needed to hobble Hillary or whoever the Democrats wind up nominating.
Clinton did the same thing and taunted the Republican Congress with his “veto pen.”
Veto away, Obama! I dare you.
The president of NO
So he is saying he refuses to work with the GOP!
If he pisses off enough he may be impeached. That’s my hope.
He doesnt care one bit about clean air and clean water.
All he cares about is pushing the phony non-Science AWG agenda, which is looking so sad and tattered any hucksters still promoting the lies should be required to speak their lies from the back of a gypsy wagon like the Wizard of Oz had back when he was in Kansas.
(Cue the looks of ignorant dupes and rubes as they believe the “Global Warming is really real true Science” vomit that comes from the Socialist media)
Crowd of gawkers outside of the wagon that STILL believe the Chicken Little story:
“Hey 97% of all scientists say that man-made global warming is real yuk-yuk”
“Yep, them guys is real smart!”
“If I only had a brain”
$h!tface is really mad the elections didn’t go his way.
The GOP will follow a simple but effective strategy. They will deliberately put 100 provisions that Obama objects to in every bill. When he objects, they will take out the top 10 that he objects to and pass the bill again. “See, we compromised, so how about you, Mr President?”
This will prove a very effective tactic, given that Obama is primarily concerned about political perception, not the actual substance of the legislation. Only his hardcore base will notice what is going on and object.
Obama will instruct Senate dems to fillabuster.
He won't need to. I don't imagine much will get past the Democrat filibusters in the Senate.
Hmmmm....You mean “Elections have Consequences”??
Harry Reid set a precedent. You can end a filibuster with 51 votes.
Only on presidential appointments other than to the Supreme Court. If the Republicans want to end the filibuster completely then they'll need to explain why they howled so much when the Democrats made the exception that they made.
If Obama was only 10% as tough on our enemies who want to kill us as he is on patriotic Americans who don’t agree with him no one in the world would dare mess with the USA.
Reid v. McConnell, bet on Reid. The McCain wing (the one that wants to restore the filibuster) of the Republican party will repeatedly reach over the aisle to have their hands chopped from their arms. Reid will never allow legislation to pass to the ONE’s desk.
Legislation (Keystone pipeline) that some “moderate” democrats had voted for in the past will suddenly lose the support of the democrats. Gone are the days when the “moderate” democrats could supposedly “support” a piece of legislation that was popular knowing full well Reid would kill it before it gets to a vote. Oh well, they are drones nonetheless and, despite possible political fallout, will now fall in line and protect the ONE refusing to give the votes to break the filibuster.
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